


Cryptic Behaviour and Other Camouflage

by Terrie



Series: Natural Phenomena [4]
Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: M/M, Relationship Reveal, abuse of science, minor medical crisis, woman of science
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-10
Updated: 2017-02-10
Packaged: 2018-09-23 10:02:53
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9650924
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Terrie/pseuds/Terrie
Summary: Caitlin is the normal one. This has nothing to do with powers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> My apologies to anyone who knows a lot about the biology of metabolism. I plead “It’s a comic book fandom” in my defense. 
> 
> Also, you may have noticed I changed the name of this series. I wasn’t 100% happy with what I had, but went with it because, when I put the first couple stories into the series, I had nothing better and had a very different naming scheme in mind. Since I’ve gone in a different direction, I changed the name. :)

When Caitlin walks into the Cortex, she has quite literally a dozen or more items on her mind. Barry’s glucose levels had been lower than she liked in the last few tests. He, of course, swore that he felt fine and hadn’t changed his eating habits. It’s not that Caitlin doesn’t trust him, but lab tests don’t lie. Either Barry isn’t tracking his calories the way he needs to, or his baseline is changing. Either way, she needs to figure out what was causing the issue. 

She can’t exactly follow Barry around all day, watching what he eats and when. It’s just not practical. Also a little creepy. But mainly not practical. The most straightforward choice, and the most likely one to pinpoint the cause, is to remeasure his baseline and see how it compares to the original baseline they had established. But that means half a day spent running tests.

She drops her purse on her chair and heads towards the break room. It would be easier if she knew exactly what she is looking for. It's not a simple case of "Barry goes faster, Barry uses more calories." The changes in his test results don't match in their timing to any increase in speed. And the amount of running hasn’t changed in any way to cause a change in the amount of energy he’s burning. What she really needs is a fresh set of eyes and someone to bounce her thoughts off.

Cisco is her usual sounding board and has been since it was just him, her and not-Wells -- Thawne. But Cisco won't be in for a while. He'll help once he arrives, but he'll help that much faster if she has coffee ready to go. She's halfway down the hall when the smell of an already brewing pot surprises her. She follows it into the break room. Harry keeps irregular hours, so there's nothing odd in finding him sitting there, a steaming mug in his hand. She is startled to see Cisco leaning against the counter.

"You're here early." She helps herself to the coffee, trying to remember when Cisco had ever been in this early for anything other than an emergency. 

"More like I was here late. Harry and I got caught up in some work and I was too tired to drive home."

"Anything interesting?"

"Absolutely fascinating," Harry murmurs into his coffee cup.

Cisco’s head whips around fast enough to make Caitlin a little dizzy. It's clear there's some double meaning to Harry's comment, but it's not even eight in the morning, she hasn't finished her coffee, and she knows better than to ask. She's still scarred from the times she walked in on discussions between Cisco and Ronnie in the too early hours of the morning, when sleep deprivation made everything seem profound. Men can be disgusting.

"Since you're already here, maybe you can help me. I need to get Barry in for a some tests. You know his schedule better than I do. Any idea when he has a few hours free?"

"A few hours is rather a lot of testing. Is Barry alright?" asks Harry.

"Probably? There are some changes in his test results. His blood sugar has been consistently lower than I’d expect. It could be just normal variation, but part of the reason I keep such a close eye on him is that we don't know the normal ranges for a speedster are for standard medical tests. The specific tests I want to run are the same ones we used to determine his metabolic needs originally. I'm hoping that it will help me determine if what I'm seeing is due to changes in how he's using his powers or if the powers themselves are actually changing."

Cisco waves his phone at her. "Barry says he has to go into work this morning, but he can give us from ten until around one, barring crazed meta humans. Is that enough time?"

"I'd be more comfortable with four hours, in case there are any issues, but in theory we can be done in three. I'll need to set up as much as possible now to save time."

Cisco exchanges a look with Harry, then asks, "Need a hand?"

"Are you sure? You said the two of you were working on something. I don't want to interrupt it if it’s important."

"No interruption at all," Harry says. “You are free to steal him away.”

“Well, if it won’t be any trouble.”

She waits until they're around the corner. “So, is everything alright with you and Harry?”

Cisco glances back towards the break room. "Harry and me? We're good. Why wouldn't we be?"

"Maybe it's just my imagination. " It's not her imagination. Of that, she’s certain. Not when Cisco hasn’t said single word about what they were working on. Anything that would keep him at the lab all night should have him bouncing off the walls with excitement and oversharing. "It just seems like... I don't know, like there’s something you don't want me to know. But I'm not sure if this is the two of you are having issues and are keeping it quiet, or the two of you blew up a sink and you don't want me to know you flooded your workshop. Again."

"My workshop is fine. Harry and I..." Cisco trails off. She can see him flounder for words for a moment, before he just shakes his head. "That can wait until after we know Barry is okay. There's nothing you need to worry about. I swear."

She holds out her hand. "Is that a pinky swear?"

He hooks his finger through hers. "That is a pinky swear."

***  
Barry arrives in his typical rush of wind. Caitlin has a pulse oximeter on one hand and a finger of his other hand pricked for the glucose monitor before she finishes saying hello. "Did you eat this morning?"

"Twice. When I first got up and then after I showered."

She shoves a thermometer under Barry's tongue. "What did you have?"

Barry mumbles and gestures at the thermometer.

"Oh, let that finish first." She notes down his O2 saturation - normal at 99 percent - and frowns at his glucose levels. He's not hypoglycemic, thankfully, but his blood sugar is 107, where she would have expected something closer to 130. Those were the glucose levels she had seen prior to this week. She pulls the thermometer out of his mouth. Normal.

"And you're sure you haven't changed your diet? You didn't change brands of anything? Bread, maybe? Some of them contain large amounts of high fructose corn syrup. We could be seeing some sort of reactive hypoglycemia."

"Caitlin, nothing has changed. I feel fine." He looks over at Cisco, who is busy organizing equipment for Caitlin. "Can you tell her I'm fine?"

"I'm actually with Caitlin on this one. I'd rather find out what's going on before you start fainting again."

"As your primary physician - as your only physician - it's my job to make sure you're okay. And as your friend, I want to make sure you're okay because you're important to me." Caitlin is willing to use emotional blackmail if it's for the greater good.

It works. Barry rolls up one sleeve and holds out an arm. She quickly draws one, two, three tubes of blood. He grimaces as she withdraws the needle and she rolls her eyes. “Don’t be a baby. It’ll heal before I can even put a band-aid on it.”

“It still hurts.” 

Caitlin ignores him in favor of labeling the tubes. It’s not necessary. This is not a medical lab. There are no other samples for them to be confused with. But good protocol is good protocol and there’s no reason for her to be sloppy. “Okay, I need to start the tests on these samples. Cisco, can you get him started on the treadmill?”

Cisco tucks his lollipop in between his cheek and his teeth before he answers. And where did he get a lollipop? Caitlin keeps hiding them, because he is going to destroy his teeth by the time he’s 35. “Treadmill is ready. Barry, you ready to do some running?”

"When am I not?"

***

The lab is quiet while Caitlin works. Harry wanders through to offer his help, but she declines. He shows no inclination to stay simply keep her company and no sooner does she turn down his assistance than he makes his excuses to wander off. She lets him go without comment. For once, she feels like things are under control and she knows Harry has his own projects. Whatever is going on with Barry is important, but it's not urgent enough to set everything else to the side. Not yet.

It's a relief to finally print off the results. The tests should provide some answers, even if it’s not the answer. Maybe once Cisco is done with his tests, they can order take out. Her stomach growls. Maybe they can order take out now, so it's here by the time Cisco is done.

She adds a copy of Barry's original test results to the stack of his current ones. She hasn't more than glanced at the results, wanting to sit down and look at everything together. And that means she needs Cisco’s results as well. 

The lab she's been using is further away from the Cortex than her usual work space. The analysis equipment had been purchased for STAR Labs prior to the particle accelerator explosion. It’s designed for heavy usage by a full lab, not by a single person. It also weighs a few hundred pounds and no matter how much she's begged, she's never been able to convince Cisco to help her move it to a more convenient location. It's maybe a five minute walk back to the Cortex. She takes it slow after she trips over her own feet, trying to walk and compare test results at the same time.

She's quiet as she rounds the corner, not wanting to interrupt if Cisco is in the middle of anything. So neither Cisco nor Harry notice as she comes behind them. She stops, trying to figure what Harry is doing there. 

Cisco is seated at the control station for the treadmill, with Harry standing behind him. Harry leans down, looking over Cisco's shoulder, one hand braced on the surface of the console. He gestures to one of the screens with his free hand, then brings it down to rest on Cisco's shoulder. One thumb strokes the skin just above Cisco's collar.

"Oh my God." Her words are loud enough that both Cisco and Harry turn, but not so loud that Barry can hear her over the sound of the treadmill and the other equipment. Through the glass, she can see him still running. “This is what you weren’t telling me?”

“This what?” asks Harry.

“This… This!” She flaps her hands, trying to indicate both men. The papers in her hands nearly go flying, and Harry takes the stack away from her. He’s clearly confused by her behavior, but she is focused on Cisco. “This is what you weren’t telling me? How long has this been going on?”

Harry might be confused, but Cisco knows exactly what she’s asking him. He is also, the sneak, clearly trying to find a way out of the question, forgetting that she can read him easily. Caitlin puts on her best disappointed face. “How long, Cisco?”

“I don’t know. Maybe eighteen hours?” Red creeps across his cheeks. His gaze flits between her face, Harry and his own feet. “I was going to tell you. But you should give a guy at least a day before complaining."

"So you were here all night because..?" If it were just her and Cisco, she wouldn't leave it dangling, but with Harry standing there, it’s a different story. 

"We were working late. Well, we were going to. I mean, we started out working. It just went in a different direction."

"That is a very different direction." When she stops to think about it, Harry is very much Cisco's type. He's smart, intense, just a little dangerous. She remembers a night out drinking, before things had gone so wrong. Her, Cisco, Ronnie, and a tipsy Cisco admitting he thought their boss was “unfairly hot.” Harry is exactly Cisco’s type. She looks over at Harry, only to find he’s walking away. He heads into the next room, apparently to tell Barry he can stop running. She doesn’t know if he’s giving them some privacy on purpose, but she’s takes advantage of the moment. “You’re being careful, right?”

"Caitlin, you've tested us for things I've never even heard of. I don't think that’s a big worry."

She shakes head. As a guy, of course Cisco goes straight the physical. “That’s not what I’m talking about. Obviously, safe sex is important, and I really hope you’re using condoms, but I don’t want to see you get hurt. Harry has helped us a lot, but he’s not the nicest person.”

“Not everyone wants nice.” He looks back at Harry. She knows the look, and it makes her groan internally. Cisco is already attached. He was probably attached before any of this. It’s written in the lean of his body towards Harry. In the way his eyes track Harry’s movements as he speaks with Barry. Caitlin just hopes it doesn’t end with Cisco getting his heart broken.

If that’s how it’s going to end, there’s nothing she can do. Cisco is one of her dearest friends, but he’s also an adult. She can’t control his choices, and she’s learned the hard way that arguing is likely to make him do something even worse. She’s not sure what “worse” would be in this situation and doesn’t want to find out. Cisco nudges her with his elbow. “Hey, you don’t have to worry about me.”

Of course she’s going to worry about him. That’s what friends do. Before she can say so, she is interrupted by Harry’s return, Caitlin’s stack of test results in his hand and Barry trailing after him. Barry’s eyes flick from Harry to Cisco and back again. Harry must have told him. She doesn’t know if Barry knew Cisco is bi. Not that she thinks Barry will have a problem with it, but even if he already knew, she doubts he knows it’s a sore point between Cisco and his very Catholic parents. She hopes he doesn't say the wrong thing. She loves Barry, but tact is not his strong point.

Harry saves all of them from a potentially awkward moment. He waves the stack of test results at Caitlin. "When did you first notice the changes?"

"Four... No, sorry, five days ago."

"So the day after that traffic tunnel wall collapsed." He grabs her elbow and pulls her over to the control station for the treadmill. He points to one screen. "Cisco and I noticed Barry's maximal oxygen consumption is significantly higher than his original results. What we didn't see was anything that would cause that change."

He spread out Caitlin's stack of printed test results on top of the work station. "Look at the change in his red blood cell count from his original tests to today. We don't have anything recent to compare to, but it can't be coincidence that we're seeing effects right now."

She compares the indicated results. "It certainly makes sense. The cars were all running and the wall collapse cut off one end of the tunnel, reducing ventilation."

"Wait, you think I have carbon monoxide poisoning?" Barry asks.

"Not poisoning," says Caitlin. "Chronic CO exposure is a known risk for polycythemia -- high red blood cell count. Most people wouldn't have a problem with that amount of exposure you had. All the drivers from the tunnel are fine. But your increased metabolism means you use more oxygen. And since you also heal so much faster, your body responded by producing more red blood cells to compensate. And now that you're not breathing car fumes, you have more oxygen to work with. Which could easily increase your metabolism."

"So I just eat a little extra until it goes back to normal."

"Hardly." Harry waves the test results at Barry. "According to this, your blood is thick enough that you ought to have had a stroke by now. Anyone else probably would have."

Barry's eyes go wide. "Stroke is bad."

"Don't worry. It's treatable." She pats Barry on the shoulder. "It does involve needles, though. Sorry."  
***

“Comfy?” 

She’s set Barry up on one of the medical cots. The IV setup had been easy enough, and Cisco had produced a stress foam toy of the Green Arrow (a gift, he said, from Felicity) that Barry could squeeze to help keep blood flowing. He shrugs. "It's fine. So, this is it? You draw a bunch of my blood and then I'm all good?"

"I'll need to do some follow up testing in a few days to confirm, but it should be that straightforward, for once." The only response she gets is a nod and a frown. "Are you sure you're okay? Because I expected a little more enthusiasm."

"Sorry. I'm still weirded out by the whole Cisco-Harry thing. And it's not the guy thing. It's the Harry thing. I guess I'm not totally past the fact that he's the doppelganger of the man who killed my mom. Or, of the guy who got take over by that man. You know what I mean.”

Caitlin hadn't even considered that aspect. They all have issues surrounding the man they had known as Harrison Wells, but Barry had been the focus of his schemes. Cisco and Caitlin were just collateral damage. "That's not really fair to Harry."

"I know." Barry scraps his free hand down his face. He looks tired. She’s not sure how much of it is the medical crisis and how much is the revelation of Cisco’s new relationship. "I thought I had them separate in my head, but apparently there are limits. I know it's not fair to either of them, but I can't imagine sleeping with a guy who looks exactly like someone who killed so many people. Including Cisco."

"They're not actually that hard to tell apart." Cisco stands in the door, a bottle in his hand. "I brought juice. I know Barry’s not donating his blood, but same principle applies, right?"

"Good idea." Caitlin takes the bottle and twists the cap off before handing it to Barry. "I can see the differences in personality, but do you really think if you had both Earth-1 and Earth-2 Harrison Wells in front of you that you could tell which was which?"

"Well, yeah. Couldn't you?"

Caitlin exchanges a look with Barry, relieved to see he’s as baffled as she is. For a moment, she was worried she’d missed something obvious. Instead, he just looks confused. “Cisco, they’re identical. That’s what makes them doppelgangers. Maybe if one of them were a metahuman, but as it is? I couldn’t do it.”

“Seriously?” He turns to Barry. “You don’t see it, either?”

There’s a nervous tone creeping into Cisco’s voice that worries Caitlin. She reaches to put a hand on his arm. The touch makes him jerk. She says, “You spend more time with him than either of us. It’s not surprising you can tell the difference more easily than we can.”

“Then why can’t I tell you what the difference is? I'm trying to explain and all my brain comes up with is that they're different because they are."

"You think it's your powers, don't you?" asks Caitlin. If he can work with the breaches and see other timelines, it makes sense that he can tell if someone is from a different Earth. "That doesn't seem like a bad thing."

Cisco's shoulders slump. "It's not bad. I don’t even know why it’s kinda freaking me out. I'm just tired of wondering what my powers are going to do next. It makes everything more complicated."

"No kidding." Barry gestures to the needle in his arm. "It’s probably just the power revelation on top of everything else today that has you stressing out. And my reaction to you and Harry isn’t helping. Look, give me some time to wrap my head around this. I got used to him being on the team. I can get used to the two of you. Though, even without the doppelganger thing, I do have to wonder about your taste."

"What?"

Cisco looks over at Caitlin. He gives her his best puppy dog look, but she's not falling for it. "Don't look at me for help. I've been saying you have terrible taste for years. Golden Glider and now Harry? It's like you're trying to make things difficult for yourself."

"So I like a challenge. What’s the point of doing something just because it’s easy?"

"Hey, there’s nothing wrong with dating someone who’s easy."

Cisco bursts out laughing. Caitlin just watches Barry silently review his words and realizes what he just said. He sputters and points a finger at Cisco. "You started it."

"Dude, I did not make you say that. It is all on you."

Caitlin rolls her eyes as Barry throws the foam Arrow at Cisco’s head. It doesn't matter who Cisco is dating, or what strange things their powers are doing. Boys are ridiculous.

**Author's Note:**

> “Cryptic behavior” really is a camouflage concept. It refers to movement designed to fool the eye, such as the way baby deer hold still or cats move in that hunting slink. I thought it went nicely with both Cisco’s complete failure to cover up his new relationship and powers doing funky things.


End file.
